Table 2 Evidence on the skeletal effects of Ejiao Qianggu oral liquid (EJQG)
From: Ejiao as a preventive agent for osteoporosis - a scoping review of current evidence
Researchers | Composition of prescription | Study Design | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|
Shen et al. (2005) [41] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Animals: 3-month-old Wistar rats (male & female n = 30) Cells: Osteoblasts from newborn Sprague-Dawley rats Treatment: EJQG-medicated serum (100, 500, 1000 g/L) applied to osteoblasts Negative control: Standard culture medium (untreated) Positive control: tibolone-medicated serum (100, 1000 g/L) | Osteoblast proliferation: ↑ (vs. untreated control) Osteocalcin levels: ↑ (vs. untreated control) OPG mRNA expression: ↑ (vs. untreated control) RANKL mRNA expression: ↓ (vs. untreated control) |
Shen et al. (2005) [23] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Animals: 3-month-old Wistar rats (male & female) Cells: Osteoblasts from newborn Sprague-Dawley rats Treatment: Serum from Wistar rats supplemented with EJQG (100, 500, 1000 g/L) for 7 days was applied to primary osteoblasts Untreated control: culture medium Positive control: tibolone (100, 1000 g/L) | Osteoblast proliferation: ↑ vs. untreated control Bone Gla protein levels: ↑ vs. untreated control OPG mRNA expression: ↑ at 1000 g/L vs. untreated control RANKL mRNA expression: ↓ at 1000 g/L vs. untreated control |
Li et al. (2006) [47] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Animals: Sprague-Dawley rats (3 months old) Model: Closed mid-shaft tibial fracture model without fixation Treatment: EJQG (2 mL/rat, p.o.) twice daily Negative control: Normal saline, twice daily Positive control: Jiegu Qili tablets (0.45 g/2 mL, p.o.) twice daily Evaluation periods: 4, 7, 14, 21 & 28 days post-fracture | VEGF Expression: EJQG Group: ↑ vs. negative control on day 7 FGF-2 Expression: EJQG Group: ↑ vs. negative control on day 14 |
Li et al. (2007) [48] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Animals: Female Sprague-Dawley rats (3 months old) Model: Tibial fracture induced via three-point bending Treatment: EJQG (2 mL twice daily, p.o.) Negative control: Normal saline Positive control: Qili Linking Bone Pill (225 g/L, 2 mL, p.o. twice daily) Evaluation: VEGF and FGF-2 expression on days 4, 7, 14, 21, 28 post-fracture via immunohistochemistry | VEGF Expression: EJQG Group ↑ on day 14 vs. negative control FGF-2 Expression: EJQG Group ↑ on day 7 vs. negative control |
Wu et al. 2007 [43] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Osteoblasts cells. Negative control: NA Positive control: NA | Proliferation: EJQG serum:↑ S-phase cells, ↑ proliferation index. Calcium Uptake: EJQG serum: ↑ intracellular Ca²⁺ Mineralisation: High-dose serum: ↑ calcified nodule formation (P < 0.05). |
Wu et al. (2007) [42] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Cells: 24-h-old Sprague-Dawley rats’ calvarial osteoblasts Treatment: EJQG (low, 100 mL, medium: 500 mL, high, 1000 mL, p.o.) Untreated control: normal saline Positive control: NA | Osteoblast proliferation: ↑ vs. untreated control Alkaline Phosphatase Activity: ↑ vs. untreated control Mineralisation: medium group ↑ vs. untreated control |
Shuai et al. (2008) [44] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Animals: 4-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats Disease Model; OVX-induced osteoporosis Treatment: EJQG 2 mL, p.o., twice daily Negative control: Normal saline Positive control: NA | BMD: ↑ vs. negative control Biomechanical strength: ↑ vs. negative control 25(OH)D3 and 1,25(OH)2D3 levels: ↑ vs. negative control |
Guo et al. (2009) [45] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Animals: 6-month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats Disease Model: OVX-induced osteoporosis Treatment: 2 mL of EJQG, p.o., twice daily for 6 months Negative control: Normal saline Positive control: NA | 25-OH-VD3 levels: ↑ vs. negative control 1,25-(OH)2-VD3 levels: ↑ vs. negative control VDR gene expression: ↑ vs. negative control |
Guo et al. (2009) [46] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Animals: 6-month-old Female Sprague-Dawley rats Disease Model, OVX Treatment: 2 mL of EJQG p.o., twice daily for 6 months Negative control: Normal saline Positive control: NA | Type I collagen protein and mRNA levels: ↑ vs. negative control |
Wang et al. (2021) [49] | Ejiao, cooked ground Radix Rehmanniae Preparata, Codonopsis pilosula, Astragalus membranaceus, Lycium barbarum, Ostrea gigas | Patients: 128 older adults with osteoporosis (mean age: 69.52 ± 1.31 years) Groups: Treatment group: n = 64 (36 men, 28 women) Mean age: 71.22 ± 1.01 years old Treatment: EJQG + Calcitriol (10 mL, 3 times daily), p.o. Control group: n = 64 (35 men, 29 females) Mean age: 68.60 ± 1.03 years old Treatment: Calcitriol (1 capsule of 0.25 µg, twice daily), p.o. Duration: 3 months | Effective rate: Treatment group: ↑ vs. control group Symptom improvement time: ↑ vs. control group Low back pain: ↓ vs. control group Bone pain: ↓ vs. control group Lower limb weakness: ↓ vs. control group Muscle cramps: ↓vs control group BMD: ↑ vs. control group |